Jaguars announce they will play two home games in London in 2020

Tuesday

The six-game regular-season schedule at TIAA Bank Field for the 2020 season will be fewest number of games available for fans in franchise history.

The Jaguars announced Tuesday they are going to play a second home game in London during the 2020 regular season, reducing their home schedule in Jacksonville to six games.

It will be the fewest home games available to fans at TIAA Bank Field in the 25-year existence of the franchise.

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Jaguars President Mark Lamping said the team reached an agreement with the league that the two games in London will be played on back-to-back weekends. The official dates of the two games will be announced when the schedule is released in April.

The Jaguars’ marquee home games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Chicago Bears were protected and will be played at TIAA Bank Field.

Lamping also announced the Jaguars will be introducing a variable pricing plan, in which games against marquee opponents will be priced slightly higher.

However, the Jaguars are reducing the ticket prices of preseason games by 50 percent, and season-ticket holders will pay 15 percent less in 2020 than they paid in 2019, Lamping said.

"For teams like the Jaguars, we are entering a period of significant change within the league," Lamping said. "This has been precipitated by the move of the Oakland Raiders to Las Vegas to their new stadium and the relocation of the San Diego Chargers and the St. Louis Rams to Los Angeles. All three of those teams will benefit from moving into their new stadiums this summer. Those teams were at the bottom of the league in terms of revenue, which is a key metric. "

The move means the Jaguars will be the only team in the NFL that will play 10 of 16 games away from home next season.

"I don’t think it’s a competitive disadvantage," Jaguars owner Shad Khan said during a conference call Tuesday. "The next time you see [coach] Doug Marrone or [general manager] Dave Caldwell, you can ask them. I think, if you look back, we’ve struggled, and there’s been seasons when we won three games and one of those wins were in London."

The Jaguars have played a game in London every season since 2013, and the upcoming season is the final year of the contract. Asked if the Jaguars plan to push for a new contract that will include playing two games in London annually, Khan said it’s about the two games this season.

"We’ve talked about possibly playing two games [in London], but we’re not the sole judge here of the decision-maker," Khan said. "I think it has to make sense for the league, which ultimately decides. But right now, this is just about two games this season."

The Jaguars would have the means to create additional revenue from the Lot J developmental deal next to TIAA Bank Field that would include an entertainment district containing restaurants and bars, a residential building, a boutique hotel and an office tower.

Lamping said last month that negotiations with the city on a development deal for Lot J were "very close" to finalizing a deal that could go to the City Council with an eye toward ground-breaking in the spring.

Issuing an update Tuesday, Lamping said the Jaguars hope to have a completed development agreement within the next 30 to 60 days.

"We can’t snap our fingers and get Lot J open tomorrow," Lamping said. "We need to be looking for those opportunities to supplement our revenue situation, and we believe that London fits that bill. Not only is it the right time to do it, but it’s the right action for us."

The Jaguars, who have had 10 losing seasons in the past 12 years, averaged 59,987 fans for seven home games at TIAA Bank Field in 2019, the fourth-lowest attendance in the 32-team league. That figure was a 6,687-person decrease from the 2018 season, when the franchise had more than 52,000 season-ticket holders. The jump in season-ticket sales in 2018 was attributed to the Jaguars’ 2017 success, when the team reached the AFC title game. But they have gone 11-21 over the past two seasons, including 6-10 last season.

And the fan base has become restless, especially with Khan making only one significant leadership change by firing former top football executive Tom Coughlin in December. Despite consecutive losing seasons, Khan retained Marrone and Caldwell for the upcoming 2020 season.

Without question, the Jaguars are significantly concerned about their financial bottom line.

"Other teams are continuing to be aggressive in terms of their actions, highlighted by the three new-stadium teams I mentioned," Lamping said. "We’re treading water. We’re not moving up in the league, and that challenge is only going to become more significant."

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